A smart object is an inversion of the normal concept of AI. Instead of the a complex NPC with a lot of complex behaviours to interact with the world a different approach is taken. The NPC AI is simple agent with a list of desires / needs and the ability to GoToLocation and PerformAction. Each SmartObject then advertises that it can fulfil certain desires / needs. The NPC AI then selects the most suitable SmartObject from the list, travels to that SmartObject and performs the action available on the SmartObject. That action on the SmartObject is the complex bit of logic and it can be anything from playing an animation, spawning NPC etc etc This means that the complexity is then spread across the objects (SmartObjects) across the map making smaller modular complex bits of behaviour that are easier to manage and expand rather than the old Monolithic difficult-to-expand NPC AI approach. Here are some slides showing how the SIM3 works: www.yoannbourse.com/ressources/docs/ens/sims-slides.pdf

@@Elthial That's a cool approach! Thanks for the link

Theyre called different names: Smart Terrain, Action Nodes, Action Points, Scenerios, Situations etc Smart Objects are used in the Sims famously those other terms i mentioned are used by open world devs they use smart objects to create ambience in the world like a guy smoking or someone playing guitar thats my understanding

Thank you

I thought he was saying "daughter" before I saw the slides..

It's both correct to pronounce data as "duh-tah" as well as "day-tah".

Yep. That's true. But this gentleman is pronouncing it in a way that seems to imply at least one "R" in the word and that intelligibility. I was able to parce what he was saying by thinking about what sounds similar enough to what I was hearing and would make sense but this other person couldn't tell until the text was brought up.